I'm glad that he'll get a chance to break Avery's record and go down as the undrafted player who played the most games in the NBA. Good for him. I still like to see him on the court. The sun is setting on his glorious career, and I'm so happy that he has come back home to finisih it up. Maybe he doesn't have too big of an impact on the court. Maybe he's not helping us win any games. But, really, in a season like this, I don't care. If I get to see one last block or one last hustle rebound from the big guy, I'd be a happy fan. This is part of Pistons history, and I'm so glad that I'm here to watch it.

Thanks for all the great memories Big Ben. You got 37 games left. Go out and have fun.

I'm glad that he'll get a chance to break Avery's record and go down as the undrafted player who played the most games in the NBA. Good for him. I still like to see him on the court. The sun is setting on his glorious career, and I'm so happy that he has come back home to finisih it up. Maybe he doesn't have too big of an impact on the court. Maybe he's not helping us win any games. But, really, in a season like this, I don't care. If I get to see one last block or one last hustle rebound from the big guy, I'd be a happy fan. This is part of Pistons history, and I'm so glad that I'm here to watch it.

Thanks for all the great memories Big Ben. You got 37 games left. Go out and have fun.

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We talk on the forum about Ben Wallace playing too long. About an hour later, he announces that this is his last season. Coincidence?

It's a little depressing that the end is coming. Rooting for Ben Wallace was one of the most satisfying feelings in sports from 2004-2006. Watching a guy truly dominate the game without scoring is so rare.

It's a little depressing that the end is coming. Rooting for Ben Wallace was one of the most satisfying feelings in sports from 2004-2006. Watching a guy truly dominate the game without scoring is so rare.

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Agreed. Ben Wallace turned me from a fan of the Pistons to a SuperFan from 01-06. Even before the Pistons won it all, the heart, competitiveness, and fierce defensive play was amazing to watch. Even though they lost to the Heat in the Finals in 2006, Ben Wallace may have had one of his best moments ever when he blocked Shaq to the floor. I think Ben was a once in a lifetime player, and I'm glad it was during my lifetime.

We got the opportunity to watch two of the greatest defensive players to ever play the game of basketball. Dennis Rodman taught a lot of Piston fans how to truly appreciate hard work and relentless defensive effort. As a kid, I never really paid much attention to stuff like defense, hustle and rebounding until Dennis Rodman showed me how it's done. Like most kids, I was more interested in dunks, buzzer beaters and offensive highlights. For me, The Worm set the table for me to really understand and appreciate what Ben Wallace was doing out there each game. For older dudes and Celtics fans, I'm sure Bill Russell filled this roll. Dennis and Ben were both my 'Bill Russell'.

It goes without saying that Ben was a unique player and person. The fact that he could be key in influencing the outcome of a game without scoring a point was amazing. The hair, the physique, the soft-spoken demeanor and the relentless effort that he brought all added to his identity as a player. This is an identity that just happened. It wasn't crafted or fabricated in any way. Ben Wallace was real.

Before Ben, I never really paid much attention when big man 'showed' at the top of the 3 point arc and recovered to make a play on his man under the hoop. I never really noticed how important a back-tap could be in maintaining a possession. I never noticed how a stronger, more fundamental player could dominate a bigger, better player. As a kid, I was brought up on highlights. ...a Julius Irving dunk. ...a sick pass from Magic. ...John Sally swatting the rock into the stands. Like Dennis did when I was younger, Ben Wallace helped me see the game differently.

I always liked it when LB use to run a play for Ben at the beginning of every game. He used to say that it was his way of getting Ben involved in the offense but I always viewed it as L.B thanking Ben in advance for everything that he was going to be doing on the other end of the floor. You had to practically beg Ben to get involved on the offensive end during the Championship years. My favorite Ben Wallace offensive play was that little pick-and-roll he used to run with Rip in the corner which almost always resulted in an alley-oop to Ben. The only time it didn't work was when Ben would roll to the hoop looking for the rebound instead of a pass. The Ball would hit him in the head. Dude was focused on getting EVERY board.

You could never get mad at Ben when he air-balled a free throw because you knew he was going to make up for it by blocking a shot or taking a charge on the very next play. His idea of a perfect trip to the line was airball the first shot, make the second shot, steal the in-bounds pass. He used to thrive on the opportunity to check a PG on a switch and keep the dude in front of him. He was as good at jumping into passing lanes as he was at post defense. When your Center can lock-down all five positions on D, that's pretty amazing. That's unheard of.

Ben was self-made.Ben was a machineBen was the identity of his team.Ben was Deeeeeetroit Baaaaaaaasketbaaaaaaaallll!Ben was one of the greatest Pistons to ever lace 'em up.

This thread started to change direction in mid-february (Webz). I wanted to continue the momentum.
He deserves to have a proper appreciation thread. The dude brought us a lot of joy.

I thought Ben owned up to his mistakes better than most and I forgive him.
As someone who loves to get loaded and drive around town with a backpack full of guns, I have no problem with what he did.

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I totally agree. I actually forgot about his drunken weapons episode until I saw this thread again.

To be honest, I was completed surprised how much Big Ben actually contributed this year. As Dumars and Frank both stated yesterday, when he came in the game, he actually made a real difference. They weren't token minutes. The guy can still play.

I have a feeling he isn't the type to want to coach, but he certainly has been a superb role model for young guys like Knight, Monroe, Jerebko, etc. Big Ben was still the first one to the gym and the last one to leave, even at this late stage of his career.

I think the fact the Ben was un-drafted will help make his case.
That's a good story and the HOF likes good stories.

Also, If you were to put together an all-time, all-defensive team; it would be hard to leave Ben off of that list. He actually should have had 5 DPOY's as he was robbed when Ron Artest was selected that one year.

If somebody was essentially the offensive player of the year multiple times with at least one Championship, they are getting in.

Both Ben and Dennis deserve to be in for sure. 2 of the best to ever play defense. And on offense, they were very smart contributors as well. If nothing else, think of all the fast breaks they triggered with blocks, steals, and forcing bad shots by the opponent.

If somebody was essentially the offensive player of the year multiple times with at least one Championship, they are getting in.

Both Ben and Dennis deserve to be in for sure. 2 of the best to ever play defense. And on offense, they were very smart contributors as well. If nothing else, think of all the fast breaks they triggered with blocks, steals, and forcing bad shots by the opponent.

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Rodman was an absolute weapon on the fast break.
Smart passer, good finisher and ALWAYS ran down the court to fill a lane. Even if he didn't score, his speed and hustle took defenders off of the guy who eventually did score. Dennis' BBall IQ was off the charts.